What We Lost
by A-Aron24
Summary: Thanos did exactly what he said he would. He wiped out half of all life in the universe, leaving the rest of civilization to pick of the pieces left behind. What's left of the League does what they can to honor their fallen teammates by searching for ways to find a solution, while others still mourn and reminisce the past. (Alternate plot where DC Universe is affected by the Snap).
1. The Batfamily

_Wayne Manor_

_2 years after_

The sound of trees rustling, and the utter silence of the world around them felt more palpable than ever. Birds almost seemed to have vanished altogether as well. And bugs? There were so many, it was hard to imagine them to be nonexistent from the ground as well. Even as much as a rodent would've felt one step closer back to the way things were. A sense of familiarity. _Reality. _

But it _was_ real.

A Jaguar C-X75 pulls into the driveway. The driver gets out first, sporting a dark brown leather jacket over his black sweater, denim jeans, as well as a pair of black boots. It was the middle of spring still transitioning from Winter, so the outfit was appropriate. Though, maybe on the bright side, something to look forward to in the midst of all this might be that global warming might erase all the-

_Stop, _the man thought to himself.

That happened way more often than he wanted – just drifting off like that in the middle of absolutely nothing. Honestly though, was there _anything _left to be so deeply occupied with?

Shortly after, the passenger, a redhead female, exited the car. For a moment, the two just silently stood there for a moment, looking at each other. Standing outside in the open Earth never felt so isolating. Dead silence filled the air, so much that if they tried hard enough maybe they could hear each other's quiet, tense breathing.

"You fazing out again?" she asked him.

He nods, "Yeah."

"You were quiet the whole ride here, I didn't wanna bother you."

He shakes his head. "No, it's not that, it's just… I actually think talking more might help. You know?"

She nods, though, with slight hesitation. "Okay."

_Batcave_

A young man wearing what looks to be a night gown and slippers types vigorously on the Batcomputer. Multiple files of different individuals are flashed before him. Their statuses are listed as either 'SEARCHING', 'VANISHED, or 'ALIVE'.

Suddenly, he gets a call on the Batcomputer. The caller's name is shown as 'JASON TODD', and he shortly answers. Jason's face appears on screen in the corner.

"Go head," he says first.

"You doin' alright there, Tiny Tim?" Jason asks, only half-joking. "You look like ass."

"I'm fine," Tim answers. "Were you successful?"

"Yeah. All the trucks made it through, and Black Mask and his thugs had another thing comin'. But that should be enough to feed the kids and the homeless for the next six months or so, until we have to find more."

"We will. Thank you, Jason."

Jason groans with slight cringe. "I've told you about doing that."

"Well someone has to say it."

A brief pause. "Well you know where to find me if you need me, Timbo."

Before he hangs up, Tim stops him.

"Hey, Jason." The former outlaw stops again, serious this time, giving Tim his full and undivided attention. "You know you have a place to stay here if you need it? There's plenty of room, you know that."

Jason looks down, seemingly trying to hide his smirk.

"I appreciate the offer, but I don't think my company would be most suitable with the rest of the party."

Tim shakes his head. "I disagree."

"I know you do. Why don't you get some sleep? I'll check up on you guys later."

He hangs up. Finally, Tim lets out a cathartic sigh, but not of relief, and more so regret.

Shortly after, Dick and Barbara enter the cave.

"Tim?" Dick's voice sounds from behind.

"Hey, you two," Tim responds rather unenthusiastically, only from mere fatigue.

They didn't even question how he knew Barbara was with him as well, and kind of just brushed it off.

"No sleep as usual?" Dick said.

"You know me," Tim dryly humored.

Dick came by next to him to get a closer look. It was worse than he though. The bags under Tim's eyes were more noticeable than everything else about his face. He could also tell that he hadn't eaten in God knows how many hours, or even days, for that matter. His face looked pale and lifeless. Dick could tell he really hadn't been sleeping. Tim has always been this way, he knew, but not to this extent.

Grayson shrugs, "You got your good looks still, I'll give you that."

Tim leans forward at the screen, resting his chin over his clenched hands, shaking his head. Dick then looks at the screen as well, and sudden chills form all over his body.

"Why are you looking at this, Tim?" Dick says with slight irritation.

Barbara stands in the back corner, holding her arm, afraid to look at him up close.

"I hadn't looked it in a while," Tim quietly spoke. "It's been three years since the last time I did. I've kinda remembered it by heart."

Dick looks at the screen, bringing back all sorts of horrible familiar sensations.

The list of The Vanished stood out first, for good reason. The first one that stood out to Dick was Bruce. And then the list went on, with all of their faces there to see, like an eerie shadow of their past selves.

* * *

Name: BRUCE WAYNE

Codename: Unknown

Height: 6'2 (187.96 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 49

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: CLARK KENT, KAL-EL

Codename: KAL-EL, SUPERMAN

Height: 6'3 (190.5 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 47

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: DIANA PRINCE

Codename: WONDER WOMAN

Height: 5'10 (177.8 cm)

Eye Color: BROWN

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: UNKNOWN

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: BARRY ALLEN

Codename: THE FLASH

Height: 6'0 (182.88 cm)

Eye Color: GREEN

Hair Color: BLONDE

Age: 33

Status: ALIVE

* * *

Name: HAL JORDAN

Codename: GREEN LANTERN

Height: 6'2 (187.96)

Eye Color: BROWN

Hair Color: BROWN

Age: 37

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: J'ONN J'ONZZ

Codename: MARTIAN MANHUNTER

Height: 6'5 (195.58 cm)

Eye Color: RED

Hair Color: UNKNOWN

Age: UNKNOWN

Status: SEARCHING

* * *

Name: VICTOR STONE

Codename: CYBORG

Height: 6'6 (198.12 cm)

Eye Color: BROWN

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 28

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: ARTHUR CURRY

Codename: AQUAMAN

Height: 6'4 (193.04 cm)

Eye Color: BROWN

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 33

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: OLIVER QUEEN

Codename: GREEN ARROW

Height: 6'2 (187.96 cm)

Eye Color: GREEN

Hair Color: BLONDE

Age: 34

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: DINAH LANCE

Codename: BLACK CANARY

Height: 5'7 (170.18 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLONDE

Age: 30

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: KENT NELSON

Codename: DOCTOR FATE

Height: 6'2 (187.96 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLONDE

Age: 38

Status: ALIVE

* * *

Name: WALLY WEST

Codename: KID FLASH

Height: 5'11 (180.33 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: RED

Age: 25

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: CONNER KENT, KON-EL

Codename: SUPERBOY

Height: 5'10 (177.8 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 4 (20 Human Years)

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: KARA ZOR-EL

Codename: SUPERGIRL

Height: 5'5 (165 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLONDE

Age: 24

Status: ALIVE

* * *

Name: KORIAND'R

Codename: STARFIRE

Height: 5'7 (170.18 cm)

Eye Color: GREEN

Hair Color: RED

Age: 26

Status: ALIVE

* * *

Name: DICK GRAYSON

Codename: NIGHTWING

Height: 5'10 (177.8 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 25

Status: ALIVE

* * *

Name: TIM DRAKE

Codename: RED ROBIN

Height: 5'8 (172.72 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 19

Status: ALIVE

* * *

Name: BARBARA GORDON

Codename: BATGIRL, ORACLE

Height: 5'5 (165 cm)

Eye Color: GREEN

Hair Color: RED

Age: 28

Status: ALIVE

* * *

Name: ALFRED PENNYWORTH

Codename: UNKNOWN

Height: 6'0 (182.88 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: GRAY

Age: 69

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: JASON TODD

Codename: RED HOOD

Height: 6'1 (187.96 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 23

Status: ALIVE

* * *

Name: DAMIAN WAYNE

Codename: ROBIN

Height: 5'4 (162.56 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 11

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: SELINA KYLE

Codename: CATWOMAN

Height: 5'9 (175 cm)

Eye Color: GREEN

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 44

Status: ALIVE

* * *

Name: ZATANNA ZATARA

Codename: ZATANNA

Height: 5'6 (167.64 cm)

Eye Color: BLUE

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 34

Status: ALIVE

* * *

Name: JAIME REYES

Codename: BLUE BEETLE

Height: 5'9 (172.72 cm)

Eye Color: BROWN

Hair Color: BLACK

Age: 19

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: GARFIELD LOGAN

Codename: BEAST BOY

Height: 5'5 (170.18 cm)

Eye Color: GREEN

Hair Color: GREEN

Age: 16

Status: VANISHED

* * *

Name: RACHEL ROTH

Codename: RAVEN

Height: 5'4 (162.56 cm)

Eye Color: VIOLET

Hair Color: VIOLET

Age: 18

Status: SEARCHING

* * *

The list went on.

"It's okay to remember them," Dick reassured. "I think about them every day."

Tim nods. "Me too."

Dick places his hand on Tim's shoulder. Tim touches it, accepting his sign of affection, and a single tear rolls down his cheek. Barbara walks over to them, and hugs Tim from behind in his chair, her crying as well.


	2. Watchtower

_Watchtower_

Barry Allen stands alone in the main control bridge, watching over the Earth's horizon through the glass. He never appreciated the beauty of it all until these recent years. Just to see how vulnerable it actually was, how fragile – it was a morbid, bittersweet appreciation.

From the outside, Supergirl flew from the side, and hovered on the other side of the glass right before Barry.

"The Thanagarians are holding up pretty well, even with their leader being gone," Kara spoke. "They're a strong people."

Barry nods. "Yeah, I know that from experience. And what about Oa?"

"They're recuperating, but I think they'll be all right. It's what they were trained for."

Barry falls silent. Kara already knew who he was thinking of.

"I still haven't found J'onn," she continued. "He's good at disappearing, but I'm doing my best."

"I don't think he wants to be found. I don't blame him," Barry said.

Kara said nothing. For a moment, she seemed to have nothing much to say.

"How are our friends down below doing?" Barry inquired.

"Uh, Dick and them have been doing all right. They've been helping Gotham recover day by day, and from what I've seen it's only getting better. Crime went up, and then it went down once they stepped back in."

"I wish I could do more," she quietly spoke.

"What do you mean?" Barry said.

"It's just… I remember watching Krypton be destroyed. Right before my eyes. I was one of the last survivors. I thought I'd lost everything. And then I found Kal… you guys… I actually found a new family. And now that half of them are gone… I don't know how to feel. It just doesn't feel right. Like it's not real."

Kara couldn't see from the angle Barry sat away from her, but his eyes were now watering, and he shut them tight again and again to prevent the tears from falling. It'd been a very long time since he cried. In fact, he hardly ever did. Humor was his shield to mask the pain. What use was that when everyone else felt the same way?

"Like a bad dream," Barry said.

Kara nodded. "Yeah."

A small blue portal opened from within the Watchtower, and stepping out of it was Zatanna and Doctor Fate. The portal then disappeared. Barry stood up.

Zatanna looked to Kara and nodded. "Hey," she said, to which Kara returned the same greeting. She then her attention to Barry, looking regretful. "Do you want the good news or bad news first?"

"Just lay it on me," Barry said.

Zatanna looked to Nelson, hesitant to speak first, but finally mustered the courage.

"We traced the last source of dark matter Thanos left behind from when he did the snap, right where it happened."

"Okay," Barry said, waiting for further explanation.

Zatanna went on. "But…" Unable to speak, Nelson stepped in for her.

"The stones appear to be destroyed," Nelson answered.

Barry and Kara's expression turned to disbelief.

"How can you be sure?" Kara said.

"I've recovered various artifacts and sacred objects in my time, granted with the right combination of spells and dark matter quantity. And with Zatanna's help, with two sorcerers' power combined, the task should've been nothing less than simple. But I can assure you that they're gone. Their energy signature is nonexistent."

"Well there has to be something!" Kara objected.

"I promise, we're gonna keep trying and do everything we can to find a better solution," Zatanna said.

"And what solution might that be?" a voice from the door entrance sounded. They all looked to see Selina Kyle leaned against the wall, arms crossed, head down. She then walks forward towards the rest. "That we might have a chance at what exactly?"

"You really that stupid or do I need to spell it out for you?" Zatanna shot back.

"Oh I don't know, Tinker Bell, I'm just hoping we're not all starting to get to wishful thinking just so soon."

"Selina," Barry warned.

"What?" she replied. "It's been two years and now all of a sudden we all just have bright ideas that may or may not, do what, bring all of them back like some fairytale fantasy?"

"Quit being selfish, Selina!" Zatanna retorted.

"_I'm _being selfish?!"

"Hey, c'mon," Kara stepped in, motioning her hand at Selina to calm down.

"No," Selina sternly spoke. "For two years we tried. We tried everything we could. Came up with all these ideas, and what? What came of it? Which of our great plans did anything to get us closer to having our friends and family back? Huh?"

Everyone was silent.

"I didn't think so," Selina muttered.

"He would've wanted us to keep trying," Barry spoke up. "Bruce would've wanted it."

Selina raised her finger. "Don't… speak his name out of your mouth to me. _Don't_. What he would've wanted was for us to let him and the rest of them to finally rest. And for us to move on with our lives." Her voice was beginning to break. "That's what they would've wanted. Not for us to be so damn stubborn."

Selina then left the room. Zatanna shook her head, resentful and disappointed. Kara and Nelson looked sympathetic and understanding, despite their differences with Selina.

Barry spoke. "But we're not moving on." Zatanna looked to him, shaking her head in agreement. Kara and Nelson also looked to him reassuringly. "Not us."


	3. Kent Farm

_Smallville, KS_

_Kent Farm_

_3 years later_

The farm was abandoned. Crops had spoiled. Animals had died. There was no one left to tend to the Kent Farm, nor home. And while the home was left in clean condition as it had normally been with Martha there to keep it that way, the home left a haunting impression.

From above, J'onn slowly descended onto the ground before the Kent house. Looking at the now decrepit home, J'onn closed his eyes with sorrow. Walking over to the porch, J'onn took a seat at the steps, staring out at the open grass. It hadn't been mowed and tended to for so long, and the corn fields had withered away, having been abandoned and left to rot.

J'onn let out a small breath, closing his eyes once again to just soak in the moment. But shortly after, he spoke up.

"I'm not surprised to see you here as well," J'onn said.

From the side, Kara silently descended onto the porch next to him.

"If I'd known you were here all this time, I would've stopped by more often and paid you a visit," Kara replied.

J'onn shook his head. "You would've been wasting your time. This is the first time I came here since… since Kal-El first invited me years ago."

Kara went over to sit down on the steps next to J'onn.

"You've been doing okay?" she asked him.

"Adequate, relatively speaking," J'onn replied nonchalantly.

Kara let out a light chuckle. "That doesn't really make sense, you know that, right?"

J'onn looked at her, and returned a small but noticeable smile creeping around the corner of his mouth, which was enough for her.

"I'm sorry to have left you and others behind," he said. "It wasn't my intention to leave you in bad hands. I thought some time alone might help ease my emotions. I thought of my own family back on my home planet, and how losing them was too much to bear at one point." Kara nodded understandingly. "And now I realize… my loneliness only brings me back here. To my friends. My newfound family."

Kara takes his hand in her own, grasping it with tender care. J'onn is taken aback by the sudden act, and looks to her with hesitant wonder. But he returns the favor, and grips her hand back.

"How have you all been holding up?" he then asks.

"Good," Kara answers. "You know us. We always pull together no matter what. Barry's leading the team now, so that's something new. Then me, Zatanna, Nelson, and Selina have been keeping the Watchtower in check."

J'onn cocks a brow. "Just you four?"

"Occasionally Dick will check in with us, as well as Starfire. But otherwise… everyone's doing okay."

J'onn nods. For a moment they're silent.

"I think we have a chance, J'onn," Kara says. "I think we have a chance to get them back."

J'onn's face is expressionless as usual, but asks, "How?"

Kara smiles. "Come back with me and I'll show you."

J'onn nods. "Alright."

Kara then embraces him, missing him greatly.


	4. We Have A Chance

_Gotham City_

_Abandoned Warehouse_

Silence. Not a single sound. Bodies laid out everywhere, all of men. Their corpses were precisely assorted. It looked as though their deaths were the end result of a mass suicide. Suicide rates all over the world had increased since the cataclysmic event, and subsequently, many people had been discovered in their own homes. Hung to death, overdosed, a bullet to the temple. But the manner in which these men died left a myriad of signs originating from external factors. Exit wounds. Strong bruises. Fractured limbs. Blood; a lot of it. These men had been murdered.

At once, there was a sound. The sound of a gun magazine hitting the floor, followed by a glock being reloaded. Standing between the circle of corpses, Red Hood never looked down at his work. He never did so much as glance as he inserted a new round. For him, there was no need.

"You shouldn't be here," Jason spoke.

Behind him, Tim Drake stood with his hands in the pockets of his green lightweight hoodie.

"Neither should you," Tim sternly replied.

Jason sighed to himself. He put the pistol back into its holster, and with his two hands, unlocked the red helmet over his head, slowly removing it. Still, he hadn't turned to face Tim, as he held the helmet down against his chest.

"Who's watching the cave?" Jason asked.

"Does it matter?" Tim answered. Jason said nothing, but Tim knew that he had agreed with him. "Barbara's keeping watch with Dick."

Jason nodded. He was looking down at this time. He tried to resist, but his eyes couldn't help but meet with the eyes of one of the thugs he'd just killed. Staring right back at him, lifeless eyes of a person who had meant something to someone; a son, a father maybe, perhaps even a lover. The thug's face was expressionless to him. Jason's, for one of the first times in his nights of patrolling, was full of shame.

"I'm taking from the tone of your voice, you're upset with me," Jason declared.

Tim took in a small breath. "You know out of all the things that have happened with us, and of all the things you and I have done, I have never been upset with you."

Jason smirked, and let out a small, suppressed chuckle. "You sound just like him."

Tim shrugged. Jason slowly turned to face him, as he moved to rest the helmet against his hip now. He almost flinched at the sight of Tim. He looked cleaner. Healthier. His face was full again. His eyes were soulful and intense, just like his persona had always been before. Quiet and reserved, but likewise, magnetic.

"Come home, Jason," Tim said, his voice breaking. He cleared his throat this time, "We need you."

Jason shook his head. "You don't need to lie to me, Timbo. I get it."

Tim frustratingly shook his head. "I reached out to you first, remember? I asked both of them, and they agreed. Have I ever lied?"

"Look, I'm not about to show my face around where I'm not welcomed."

"Who says you're not welcomed?"

"I know it," Jason shot back. "I know. I can feel it every time I around there. The thought is clear as day on Dickbird's face. Probably no different from hers, either."

Tim felt bad for him, really. He and Jason, while starting on a bad foot when they first met each other, grew to be the closest out of them all, aside from Bruce.

"That's not true," Tim said. "You're just as important to this family as the rest of us."

Jason scoffs, almost holding back an actual laugh.

"Family..." he mutters, mockingly. "You guys don't need me. Not really. I'll stick to what I do best out here." Tim shakes his head, pitifully. "He never did agree with my lifestyle. My moral code. When he first vanished, I actually stopped for a while, did you know that? Yeah... couldn't see myself doing it anymore, 'case that's what he would've wanted. And then I thought... why not? Why the hell should people, who deserve to pay, and deserve nothing less than to answer for all their bad shit, get to stay, while the good ones had to go?" Jason's face grew redder as he went on. "Like him." His voice was breaking now. "Why did he have to go?"

A single tear streak ran down Tim's face. He quickly wiped it away.

"Hell, I probably don't deserve to be here either," Jason added. "Yet here I still am. Given a second chance at life for being the piece-of-shit that I am."

"We have a chance to bring them back, Jason," Tim said. "All of them."

Jason shook his head, still fighting his own pain.

"Not everyone gets to have chances like I did. Don't give me hope..."

"I'm not talking about any Lazarus Pit or anything like that. Barry and the rest of them found a way. A better way. And quite frankly... I'm in. But I need to know if you are, too."

Jason froze. He stared at Tim for the longest like a sort of lost child. In his hand, he saw the eye sockets of the helmet he'd worn. Holding it up to his face, he pressed it against his head. He clenched his teeth, and let out an exasperated sigh. He was hiding his own anguish this time.

* * *

_Wayne Manor_

_Batcave_

Barbara sat at the Batcomputer, arms crossed. On the news, they discussed the numerous drops in crime rate amongst Gotham, thanks to the help of Red Hood, Robin, Nightwing, and herself. From the manner in which it was portrayed on the screen, life in Gotham had almost looked normal again, probably even more peaceful than it'd ever been. At least since she'd been alive.

Dick entered the room. He pulled a chair from the table in the corner and sat a few feet away from her. He, too, looked at the screen.

"It's amazing, huh?" he said.

Barbara turned to him, and gave a half-smile. "Yeah," she simply said with a nod.

"Cops might have nothing to do on shift for the first time in a while."

She half-humorously scoffed, as she turned back to face the screen. "Those that are still here, of course."

Dick found her unusually dark humor unsettling. His light-hearted spirit quickly shifted to fit the mood.

Barbara shut the news off, leaving the cave in an uncomfortably empty silence. "Tim went to go see Jason," Barbara said.

"Yeah?" Dick responded. "How'd that go?"

She shrugged. "He hasn't messaged me back yet."

"Well, you know with Jason it's like playing a wild card. There's no telling what he'll do."

Barbara just quietly nodded, as she stretched her wrist in a circle, popping it, and then proceeding to absent-mindedly check her nails. Dick glared at her with narrow eyes, though, she didn't notice, as she was still turned away from him. Everything about her was passive aggressive.

Dick clears his throat. "It looks like Tim's doing better," he spoke up. "I haven't seen him this motivated, since... before 'it' happened."

Barbara rolled her eyes and turned to him. "Why don't you just say it, Dick?" she sighed. "We 'know' what happened."

He nervously swallowed. "Of course."

Dick waited some moments before saying another word. He knew she was worked up about something, and it was painfully obvious.

"He did help a lot in cleaning up the streets, though," Dick said. "Jason."

Barbara was tapping her nail on the counter now.

"I think he'd be proud." Unsure if whether Dick was referring to Bruce or her father, Barbara simply nodded anyways. "Both of our parents would."

Removing her glasses, Barbara used her shirt to wipe them. It was merely just so she could have something to do with her hands. Sometimes that helped keep herself together.

"You know my dad never came home sometimes?" Barbara spoke. "All those late nights where he just wouldn't be able to make it to some of my recitals. And even still, my mother never had any suspicions about him. Never suspected he was out with another woman, or anything like that. No. She knew him. She stood by him the whole way. She knew it was because he cared about his job. Dare I say it, more than his family. But I loved him either way. And I know he loved us, too."

One of the lens of her glasses broke off. She hadn't even noticed just how aggressively she'd been rubbing them in the midst of their conversation.

Barbara took in a deep breath and exhaled, simply placing the broken glasses down on the keyboard in front of her. She then clasped her hands together in her laps, fumbling her thumbs.

"You don't have to do that," Dick softly spoke. "We don't have to talk about it."

Barbara banged her hand against the counter in front of her.

"We _don't_ talk about it - we don't _ever_ talk about it!" Barbara hissed. "That's what's wrong with us. We can't ever make up our minds on what to do!"

Dick fell silent. Barbara's face flushed as her blood was now boiling.

"First you say we should because it would help," Barbara continues, pointing her finger at him. "But here we still are, _suffering_ \- just living with it!"

He buried her face in her hands, as it was now drenched with her own tears. Dick rushed over to her, and knelt by her side. He put his arms around her, and leaned his head against her.

Sobbing uncontrollably, Barbara rested her head onto his.


	5. Game Plan

_Watchtower_

Most took a seat at the round table in the meeting room, but there wasn't room for everyone. Tim, Dick, Barbara, and Jason stood just behind Selina, who was seated across from Barry, nimbly stretching her legs up in her hair. Barry held the meeting, with Doctor Fate jumping in when needed. Kara and J'onn sat next to one another, parallel to Zatanna and Starfire on the other side.

Barry stood at once, clearing his throat.

"I, uh... just wanna thank all of you for being here and-

"Yeah, yeah," Selina interrupted, checking her nails. "We all know this isn't your thing, Speedy. Just get on with it."

Barry gave her a slightly irritated look, sighing, then proceeded. "Anyways, we all know why we're here, but we haven't exactly elaborated the 'how' part."

"You mean how we're going to fix all of this?" Starfire asked.

"Right," Barry said. "And since I'm not that tech-savvy, with Tim's wonderful help, we put together a demonstration to show you guys." There was brief hesitation before his next sentence, though. "But... we called in the help of the only other person we could possibly think of in the moment."

Confused looks appeared on everyone's face but Barry, Nelson, and Zatanna's. Then the rest of them turned to the sound of footsteps entering the room.

"Ask..." the deep voice spoke as it approached closer. Once they stepped into the light, they stood front and center at the members in the room, garnering mixed reactions from them all. It was Lex Luthor, dressed in a business suit and slacks. "And you shall receive," he finished.

A flushed look of anger grew over Kara's expression, as she jerked her head to face Barry.

"What is he doing here?" she hissed.

"I know you're upset," Barry spoke under his breath, "but he's the only other one who could help us understand all of this right now."

"The only other one?"

"I know I'm not welcome here, and believe me, this is the last place I'd rather be. But like in old times, as the saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend." He pauses, scanning everyone in the room, a smirk creeping over his face followed by a scoff. Luthor walks over towards the front center of the table. "Thanos. The most wanted man in the universe. Or, is he really a man? No, of course not. He's an extraterrestrial being. A Titanian Eternal, as his race is known to be. And what does that tell us?" Luthor stops next to Barry, standing before everyone, not expecting a response. "That he is intellectually superior to us, and therefore possess a higher level of knowledge and wisdom above the average man."

"So how are you supposed to help us?" Jason remarks.

Luthor looks to him. "Because I am no average man." Kara rolls her eyes. "Mr. Allen, would you care to start the presentation?"

With that, Barry takes remote controlling the hologram computer emitting from the table and pushes a button. Projected from the table's center is a holographic depiction of a rotating Earth, as well as the six Infinity Stones.

"From our understanding, there were six stones Thanos used to wipe out half of all life on Earth. Each of them possesses its own unique power and dominion over different covenants of existence. Time, space, power, mind, soul, and reality. All put in one, they have enough power to wipe out half of all life in the universe with just a snap of the fingers." Luthor insensitively snaps his own fingers as he says this.

The holographic Earth then zooms out, as countless other Earths line up in infinite rows and columns next to it.

"But haven't we learned that this Earth isn't the only one?" said Luthor. "No, there are infinite Earths. All living, breathing in their own plane of existence, occupying the same space, but at different points in time. Different frequencies. You see, time plus space can only equal one thing. Reality. Those are three of the six stones we just established. Theoretically, the universe began with a bang, much like a spark setting off the course of history, so it makes sense that the Power stone would take the first stance in the order of balancing the universe. And with the surge of power coursing life and energy into something, albeit a celestial or third-dimensional being, it then has to develop a soul or purpose to mark itself amongst others its newfound energy, and later a mind to understand its place in the creation of the universe, in whichever way it wants. However, that all means nothing without having a time or place to choose where it all occurs.

"Let's put it this way," Luthors goes on. "There are two separate points across a board. A and B. The only thing separating them is space, right? Well, to get from point A to B, to close their distances, you have to lose something in order to gain something."

"Time," said J'onn.

"Precisely," Luthor continued. "It's the only measurement possible to determine that you actually moved from one place to another. And together, these variables of both 'when' and 'where' determine our reality. Our very existence, for that matter. Proof of time validates our proof of space."

"Okay," Selina started to say, still not getting the point entirely. "Say I'm standing in the same spot for more than ten seconds, and someone just stares at me knowing I didn't move anywhere. Do they really need a watch to know that?"

Luthor scoffs. "If you ask me, Miss Kyle, I'd say the very answer lies within your own question." Selina cocks a brow. "I've been standing here for a little over two minutes now. I didn't just spontaneously appear before your very eyes like some sort of magic act." Selina smirks at Zatanna, to which the magician purses her lips in a comical consensus. "There's really no way to comprehend how that might work in a three-dimensional sense. The closest we could imagine would be the universe acting in a stop-motion manner, which would look quite disturbing if you ask me."

"Hmm, I'd say Speedy here does that all the time," Selina joked, looking to Barry, to which he sarcastically chortled back to her.

"Ah yes, but even the Flash has to take time in order to get from one space to another," Luthor adds. "For him, it just takes less time. Which brings me to the main point as to why we're here-

"Time travel!" Jason guesses. Everyone looks at him with blank expressions. He shrugs, "I mean, it's the only thing that would make sense after explaining all that to us. We're going back in time to stop Thanos from doing the Snap. I'm calling it."

Luthor quietly chuckles. "Oh no, Todd, not at all. Society's delusional perspective on quantum physics and the theory of relativity are all warped by the misguided ramblings that these Hollywood writers portray to us. They would have you believe that jumping in a time machine to go 'Back to the Future' or whatever might actually be possible. But no, that's ridiculous… though, not entirely ridiculous. Our goal isn't to go _backward _in time, but rather _forward._"

Barbara mutters under her breath next to Dick. "He had me up until that part."

Luthor continues. "Time is linear. It can only go forward. So theoretically, traveling to the past is impossible. But, we have a solution." Luthor then looks to Barry. "Mr. Allen, would you care to explain?"

Barry clears his throat. "You guys remember when I sort of broke the space-time continuum?"

"Which instance?" J'onn dryly humored.

Barry nodded. "Okay, that's a good point. But each time it happened was because I traveled so fast that it put us in a different vibrational frequency. Different from _our _Earth, and instead put us in another one."

Jason snapped at a new thought. "I got it. You wanna send us to a different Earth where none of this happened."

"Dude, can't you just let him finish?" Dick impatiently remarked. Jason raised his hands, backing off.

Barry tilted his head. "Eh, kind of. Not exactly, though."

Jason turned to Dick and gave him a smug look. J'onn then took over to explain the rest.

"Flash can reach the appropriate speed to break the Earth's vibrational frequency at 7.8 Hertz, according to the Schumann resonance. The problem arises in knowing the right frequency which determines which Earth you end up existing. Thankfully Batman created a way for us to know and choose at will."

"Wait, he made a way for us to jump into different alternate Earths at will?" Selina exclaims.

"You really didn't know that?" said Zatanna.

"Hell no!"

"Crazy, I know, but its Batman, so of course it worked," Barry said.

"Which Earth would fit for a most suitable plan of action?" Starfire asked.

"This one," Barry says as he clicks the remote yet again. On the hologram, this selects a globe from the many selections of Earths displayed. "We called it…" Barry tilts his head at the title. "Other Earth? Hmm, that's… creative, I guess."

Tim shrugged with embarrassment. "Look, I had to call it something, okay?"

Barry brushes it off, trying not to snicker. "Anyways, this is where we're shooting for."

"What's so special about it?" Zatanna asks.

Barry hesitates for a moment, and just then J'onn takes over once more.

"We recently discovered a large surge of energy erupt from the Other Earth not too long ago, similar to what we witnessed 5 years ago with the Snap. After closer inspection, we realized that it mirrored our world in many ways, except… the roles are _reversed_."

"Reversed?" Dick questioned.

"Everyone standing in this room, at this very moment, who all survived the Snap, had vanished in that world following the same event," J'onn answered. "The effects of the event seemed to be… flipped."

"So that means…" Barbara whispered, her eyes starting to water.

Barry had his head down, but slowly started nodding. "Yes," he said. "They're all still alive there. But we aren't."

A long but much-needed silence dragged on for some moments following the statement. Tears rolled down Barbara's cheeks, as Dick put a comforting arm around her. Selina fidgeted uncontrollably with her hands and feet, but didn't say anything. And many of them found it hard to even breathe at a normal pace, as they could hear their heartbeats pounding between their ears.

At last, Selina said something.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Are we gonna pay a visit or what?" she remarked.

"That is part of the plan, yes, but we can't stay," Barry answered.

Selina rolls her eyes. "I'm starting to think you guys aren't opportunists by any means."

"As much as I, too, like to take a dive at a great opportunity, it's not that simple," Luthor chimes in. "Playing with alternate dimensions in intertwining them is never a good idea, in the long run. Their world is very much like ours, as we've indicated. But it's _not _our world. Though, perhaps at one point, it was."

"This poor kitty's lost. Care to explain some more?"

"I have some theories. Either both of our worlds coexisted equally as one, and the Snap resulted in two different splits in reality, making our current Earth where we've survived, and another where, vice-versa, what we've lost still lives on."

"And the other theory?" Starfire asks.

"That I'm wrong," Luthor boldly states. From the looks on everyone's faces, they didn't quite like the sound of that. "But I'm almost certain that's not the case.

"Our frequencies are vibrating almost the same, but at a different space and time. Even the ionospheres are vibrating at a similar resonance. Think about it, Thanos had intended to eradicate half of the entire universe with the stones. He spoke of that himself with full conviction and ran through with it. But, how could he say that, without also realizing that there is no 'universe'? There's multiple universes. So this tells me that both Thanos was not aware of such knowledge, and that as a result of his cataclysm, he split this Earth into two realities in which only he can occupy."

"Amazing…" Starfire quietly said to herself.

"Basically, Thanos only exists in these two dimensions," Barry said. "Ours and Other Earth's. Every other one, Thanos and his army never even came into the picture."

"And somehow him snapping his fingers created a divide between these realities," Luthor finished.

"But the energy signature was recorded just recently, right?" Tim spoke. "Ours was five years ago. How's that possible?"

"Someone's been paying attention," Luthor replied. "We've also come to the realization when looking at Other Earth's data that our times don't exactly match, which is normal when dealing with pocket dimensions. Our present time right now is their past. As I said before, time is linear. We can only move forward to catch up."

"But the snap will already have happened either way," Starfire said.

"Yes, but… the stones may not be gone."

Doctor Fate stepped in. "When Zatanna and I searched for any last remnants of the stones when Thanos last used them, we came up with nothing. He'd used them twice. Once to purge half the universe, and twice to destroy the stones themselves. To him, they served no further purpose."

"But not to us," Zatanna muttered.

"If we can get there to the Other Earth at the right time, we could locate and get the stones from Thanos before he destroys them again."

"How do we know from that energy expenditure that he didn't just destroy them again?" Barbara asked. "I mean how can we tell if this was the first time or not?"

"Planet 0259-S, or the Garden, in which Thanos resided was where he last used the stones to destroy them in our dimension. No large expenditure of energy has yet to be recorded in the same location."

"So he only used them once…"

"What makes us think he plans on doing the same thing in the other reality?" Selina.

"We'd be risking it by doing nothing," Barry retorted.

"Technically, he might," Luthor spoke. "Unless your super friends on the other side find a way to stop him before he does, which I doubt, things just might play out the same way. Two timelines have to meet at some point. Same melody, different tune."

"He's right," Barbara said. "We can't risk it."

"I don't like how doubtful you are that they won't stop him," Grayson fires back at Luthor.

"I can't decide for them, Grayson. But neither can you, quite frankly." Dick says nothing. He knew in a way that Luthor was right. "It's up to you all to take the risk or not."

"Why are you helping us?" Kara asked skeptically.

Luthor turns and walks over to the window, facing out over the Earth. Even after the fact, it was such a large and beautiful sphere. With the light reflecting off the glass, Lex could see his reflection looking back at him, standing over the vast planet.

"At first, I agreed with Thanos," said Luthor. "Hell, he had a point. A mass expenditure of resources was starting to get out of hand. Not just here on our world, but other worlds. There wasn't enough for everyone. Doing this would fix that problem, of course. And so far, it's worked." Kara began fuming with anger, clenching her fist. "But then I realized… with Superman gone, and my many other rivals and adversaries, I no longer had anyone or anything to compete with. I had no purpose. I have a wide array of knowledge at my disposal and nothing to use it for… until now."

"You do realize that by helping us you're bringing Superman back, right?" Jason pointed out.

"I'm well aware. As much as I despise him, in a way, his very existence keeps me at bay."

Kara shakes her head. "You're unbelievable, you know that?" she scorned.

But Luthor says nothing.


End file.
